James Biddle Eustis | |
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| United States Senator fromLouisiana | |
| In office March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891 | |
| Preceded by | Benjamin F. Jonas |
| Succeeded by | Edward D. White |
| In office January 12, 1876 – March 3, 1879 | |
| Preceded by | William P. Kellogg |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin F. Jonas |
| United States Ambassador toFrance | |
| In office May 6, 1893 – May 24, 1897 | |
| President | Grover Cleveland |
| Preceded by | T. Jefferson Coolidge |
| Succeeded by | Horace Porter |
| Member of theLouisiana Senate | |
| In office 1874-1878 | |
| Member of theLouisiana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1872 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Biddle Eustis (1834-08-27)August 27, 1834 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | September 9, 1899(1899-09-09) (aged 65) Newport, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Resting place | Cave Hill Cemetery Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Ellen Buckner |
| Relations | George Eustis Jr. (brother) Charles Bohlen (grandson) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent |
|
| Alma mater | Harvard Law School |
| Signature | .png) |
James Biddle Eustis (August 27, 1834 – September 9, 1899)[1] was aUnited States senator fromLouisiana who served as PresidentCleveland'sambassador to France.
Born inNew Orleans, he was the son ofGeorge Eustis (1796–1858) and Clarice (née Allain) Eustis. His father was a lawyer who served as a Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. James's brother,George Eustis Jr., was aUnited States representative from Louisiana.[1]
James pursued classical studies, graduated from theHarvard Law School in 1854, was admitted to thebar in 1856.[1]
After his admission to the bar, he commenced practice in New Orleans. He served asjudge advocate during theCivil War in theConfederate Army and resumed the practice of law in New Orleans.[2]
He was elected a member of theLouisiana House of Representatives prior to the Reconstruction acts, and was one of the committee sent toWashington, D.C. to confer with PresidentAndrew Johnson on Louisiana affairs. He was again a member of the State house of representatives in 1872, and was a member of theLouisiana Senate from 1874 to 1878.[2]
Eustis was elected as aDemocrat to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy in the term commencing March 4, 1873, caused by the action of the Senate in declining to seat rival claimantsWilliam L. McMillen andP. B. S. Pinchback.[3] Eustis served from January 12, 1876, to March 3, 1879; he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection, and was professor ofcivil law at theTulane University Law School from 1877 to 1884, then called the University of Louisiana. He was again elected to the U.S. Senate and served from March 4, 1885, to March 3, 1891; he was not a candidate for reelection, and practiced law inWashington, D.C., in 1891.[2]
While a sitting senator, Eustis wrote a controversial essay forThe Forum titled "Race Antagonism in the South," in which he complained that "The white man's patience is to-day taxed as ever by the unending complaints of the Negro and his friends" and that Blacks "continue to appeal to what he considers the inexhaustible sympathies of the white race" despite having "every advantage over every other laboring class in the world."[4]
If his lot is to continue to be one of inferiority, rather than appeal to the political favoritism of the federal government, or to the partisan sympathies of Northern philanthropists, as he has done in the past, he should rely implicitly upon the magnanimity of his white fellow-citizens of the South, to treat him with the justice and generosity due to his unfortunate condition.[4]
The essay prompted vigorous responses from supporters of civil rights, includingGeorge Washington Cable,Albion Winegar Tourgée,Atticus Greene Haygood, and others.[5][6][7]
From 1893 to 1897 he wasambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to France, and then settled inNew York City.[1]
Eustis was married to Ellen Buckner (1836–1895),[8] a daughter of Henry Sullivan Buckner, a cotton broker who built a mansion at1410 Jackson Avenue in New Orleans in 1856,[9] and Catharine (née Allan) Buckner.[10] Ellen was an aunt toMortimer N. Buckner, president and chairman of theNew York Trust Company. Together, James and Ellen were the parents of:[11]
Eustis died inNewport, Rhode Island on September 9, 1899.[1] He was interred atCave Hill Cemetery inLouisville, Kentucky.[16][17] He was a member ofThe Boston Club of New Orleans.[18]
Through his daughter Celestine, he was posthumously a grandfather of diplomatCharles Bohlen (1904–1974), who served as theUnited States Ambassador to the Soviet Union,the Philippines andFrance.[19]
| U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Kellogg (– November 1, 1872) Vacant (1872–1876) | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Louisiana January 12, 1876 – March 3, 1879 Served alongside:Joseph R. West,William P. Kellogg | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Benjamin F. Jonas | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Louisiana 1885–1891 Served alongside:Randall L. Gibson | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Ambassador to France 1893–1897 | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| Envoys to France (1776–1779) |  | |
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| Ministers Plenipotentiary to France (1778–1815) | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to France (1816–1893) | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France (1893–present) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
